Developing a model for assigning senior officers in the Brazilian Air Force

• Main Author: Gentil Toneli, Arthur A.
• Other Authors: Seagren, Chad W.
• Published: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School 2015
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/45190

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === The Brazilian Air Force faces a huge challenge in the assignment process. While aviators outnumber any other community, there are few jobs related to aviation available for senior officers. As a consequence, when junior aviators who invested their time improving their skills in air operations are promoted to senior ranks, they must be assigned to managerial positions in areas they don’t master. The problem becomes worse in the absence of career paths for senior officers and at the discretion of officers and commands to present their preferences in the assignment process with no regard for previous job experience. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a model for assigning senior officers without specialization, as it occurs among aviators in the Brazilian Air Force, so that job performance can be maximized. The model uses linear programming and takes individual preferences and organizational needs into consideration. The results of simulation in three different scenarios suggest that it is possible to capitalize on previous job experience and simultaneously satisfy the interests of officers and commands. One expected benefit of the study is the natural specialization of senior officers, without the intervention of career managers.